A committee appointed by the provost is hosting the semiannual UNM Volunteer Fair today for organizations who need help from UNM students, staff and faculty.
The New Mexico Jazz Workshop, Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Roadrunner Food Bank and over 50 other organizations will recruit volunteers.
Lina Marie Sandve, a committee representative, said the fair helps UNM community members decide which volunteer organization is right for them.
“The volunteer fair simply is a one-stop shop for faculty, students and staff to discover where they might best spend their volunteer hours,” she said. “There’s so many courses that require community service of some kind, and this is a great way for them to fulfill that obligation.”
Judith Ann Garcia, literacy coordinator for Bernalillo County, said the county is recruiting volunteer tutors for after-school programs. Garcia said many children in the program need one-on-one attention.
“We need volunteers because, unfortunately, we have a lot of children who need tutoring. It’s kind of sad that we have more kids than we do tutors,” she said. “We find that, at least in small groups, they seem to absorb the information better that way.”
Garcia said the literacy program does “food for thought,” which entails a component of homework, a component of leisure reading and a component of reading to learn.
Tommie Gonzales, coordinator for Computer Clubhouse, said her organization is seeking three volunteers a week to help students from ages 9 to 18 become computer literate.
“It’s mostly graphic designing and animation,” she said. “We recruit mentors to help the kids.”
Gonzales said volunteers should have some computer experience if they want to help at the Clubhouse.
Sandve said the fair could also help students decide on a career path.
“It gives them a real opportunity to shop around and find out where they’d like to be and what they’d like to do,” she said.
UNM Volunteer Fair
SUB Ballrooms A & B
Today
11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
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